French health officials have reported an indigenous dengue fever in the area of the city of Nimes in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, according to health department surveillance report (computer translated).

Image/CIA
Image/CIA

As of Sep. 17, the region has seen six confirmed and one probable locally acquired dengue fever cases in 2015.

Gard Department, where Nimes is the capital, has been placed in Level 3 of the National Anti-spread chikungunya control plan / dengue.

In Languedoc-Roussillon, 197 reports of suspected cases of chikungunya and / or dengue have been received since 1 May 2015. Ten imported cases of dengue and chikungunya two imported cases were confirmed (all acquired during a trip to an endemic area).

Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease was once called called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.

Dengue fever of multiple types is found in most countries of the tropics and subtropics particularly during and after rainy season.

There are four types of dengue virus: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4.

People get the dengue virus from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. It is not contagious from person to person.

There are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

Robert Herriman is a microbiologist and the Editor-in-Chief of Outbreak News Today and the Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch

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